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APM Terminals Mumbai – also known as GTI – welcomed the maiden call of the ME2 (India – Mediterranean) service this week. Operated by Maersk, ME2 is a premium service for the export of grapes from India to European markets.
The service connects the India West Coast ports of Mundra and Jawaharlal Nehru Port, to the hub terminals of Algeciras and Port Tangiers Med in Europe, via Salalah and Port Said East. The first vessel on the service, the 10,000 TEU capacity Maersk Gautemala, berthed at GTI on 9th February 2024, when approximately 2500 moves, primarily of export cargo, were carried out.
With the recent commissioning of larger reach cranes and a newly extended bridge to the terminal, GTI has upgraded its infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels. The introduction of the ME2 service was made possible due to these enhanced capabilities, the company states.
APM Terminals recently signalled its continued commitment to India by signing a MOU with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), to invest in the development of a new container terminal at the proposed mega port project at Vadhavan in the state of Maharashtra, about 150 km north of Mumbai.
Jonathan Goldner, Regional Managing Director, APM Terminals Asia, Middle East, said, “In recent years, APM Terminals has made significant investments at both APM Terminals Pipavav and APM Terminals Mumbai and delivered world class efficiency at both ports. We are excited to partner with JNPA in exploring the opportunity of the project at Vadhavan.”
He continued: “We believe that Vadhavan’s location combined with our ability to build and operate world leading ports creates an attractive opportunity to support the growth of local manufacturers, exporters, importers, and the regional economy in general. The investment will drive the local economy by creating job opportunities for locals.”
To be developed at a cost of more than US$ 10 billion, Vadhavan port will be designed to handle up to 23 million TEU a year and, with a natural draft of 20m, it will be able to cater to larger container vessels of 20,000 TEU size.
